SO,I'M A NIGHT-OWL. DOES THAT MAKE ME A
FEATHER- HEAD?

Welcome to my Garden.Here is the beauty of my world,in microcosm. It is filled with plants, flowers,animals,birds and persons who are so important to me,that all together, fill me with delight,every day.

MUSICAL TREATS-

"WHERE NO ONE STANDS ALONE "JIMMY SWAGGART: THERE IS ROOM AT THE CROSS FOR YOUDONE BY JIM RECORDS, 2006, THIS IS JIMMY'S NEWEST CD, WITH JIMMY ON THE VOCALS, AND THE PIANO, BACKED UP BY THE SILKY VOICES OF THE CRUSADE TEAM,AND FULL MUSICAL ACCOMPANYMENT, WITH JIMMY'S UNPARALLELED ARRANGEMENTS, TRULY AN OUTSTANDING TIME OF PRAISE AND WORSHIP,AND A COMFORT TO THE SOUL. (*****)

IT'S LUCKY WE METJANET PASCHAL: BILL GAITHER AND GLORIA: GOD BLESS AMERICAGAITHER GOSPEL SERIES LIVE FROM CARNEGIE HALL
WITH THEIR HOMECOMING FRIENDS-GET USED TO BEING HAPPY! (*****)

"UNBREAK MY HEART"IL DIVO: IL DIVO A NEW GROUP JUST INTRODUCED ON OPRAH AND THE TONIGHT SHOW, PUT TOGETHER BY SIMON C.
FROM AMERICAN IDOL...FOUR YOUNG MEN, ALL FROM DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, DOING HIP SONGS IN AN OPERATIC STYLE! A MUST HAVE FOR THOSE WHO LOVE MUSIC! YUMMY! SONG IN ITALIAN, OR SPANISH, OR ONE OF THOSE ROMANCE LANGUAGES...WHATEVER IT IS, IT WORKS FOR ME! (*****)

MOONLIGHT SONATABEETHOVEN: PIANO SOLOSSERENE, RESTFUL, AND BEAUTIFUL CLASSICAL MUSIC
TRY THIS IN FRONT OF THE FIRE WITH A GOOD BOOK
AND A GLASS OF WINE. REFLECTIVE.
HAS A WAY OF CALMING KIDS DOWN. (*****)

RHAPSODY IN BLUEGEORGE GERSHWIN: FANTASIA II; DISNEY ALSO AVAILABLE JUST UNDER IT'S OWN NAME,
ON CD OR CASSETTE. SYMPHONIC JAZZ.
GEORGOUS! (*****)

WORD LOVES

T.H. WHITE: "THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING"This is THE BOOK, without which no home library of good fiction is complete! The foundation for the complete Aruthurian ledgend, upon which was based "The sword in the Stone", "Camelot",as well as "Merlin!" There is even speculation of it being an allegory of Christ.A book you will read, and re-read for years to come! It is beautiful, romantic,realistic to the times,and even screamingly funny in places! (*****)

Barbra D'amato: Of course you know that chocolate is a vegetable!Anthology of murder mysteries! Funny, clever and so well written. If you love chocolate, you will drool over the title story! (*****)

VIRGINIA WOOLF edited by Susan Dick: THE Complete Shorter Fiction Of Virginia Woolf A book that follows Virginia Woolf's art of lyrical prose developement...encounter continuous delights for the mind! Be stirred by the color and vapours of Kew Gardens,sweet, magical pictures her words will create in your mind! (*****)

WARREN MURPHY & RICHARD SAPIR: THE DESTROYER SERIES FROM #1 TO THE 64TH, (WHICH IS ONLY AS FAR AS I HAVE GOTTEN IN MY COLLECTION) THIS MARTIAL ARTS SERIES HAS GOT IT ALL.REMO WILLIAMS IS A WISE-CRACKING "DEAD" COP, AND HIS MENTOR IS THE FRAGILE LOOKING CHIUN, MASTER OF SINANJU,
TOGETHER THEY COMPRISE THE KILLING ARM OF A BRANCH OF THE US GOVERNMENT THAT DOES NOT EXIST.

NORA LAM AND RICHARD SCHNIEDER: CHINA CRY: THE NORA LAM STORYTHE TRUE STORY OF A WOMAN WHO FOUND THE COURAGE TO LOVE AND THE STRENGTH TO SURVIVE AGAINST ALL ODDS. (*****)

So then I went looking for some more info on the man, and I found "Actor,Glen Ford dies at 90!" So now we have not only lost a great film screen writer, but also one of the men who played opposite Rita Hayworth, one of the most beautiful actresses who ever graced the silver screen,in the movie "Gilda" in which she performed the number "Put the blame on Mame!"Which among other things, accuses Mame of causing the 'frisco quake,and the slaying of a criminal named Dan McGrew up in the Klondike,by doing something called the "hitchy koo"! Glen Ford was very believable as her love interest,even though his forte had always been a handsome tough guy. He also did comedy, starring opposite Shirley Jones in the movie version of "The Courtship of Eddie's Father."

We have lost many great actors this year,and it is safe to say that this trend will continue...because it is inevitable. I count it as a personal loss, because so many of the old greats were just as Glen Ford. Talented, private people, about whom not a breath of scandal was ever breathed, who produced movies you could take the whole family to, without worry as to whether they would see or hear something they oughtn't. Even" Psycho!" Which, though frightening, and a thriller, still wasn't blatantly filthy,and even with suggestion and innuendo,most "adult" reference went right over kids heads....sigh....so sad the way things have changed.

Well first, Gospel literally means, Good News. The Good news of Jesus Christ,that he has come,that he has satisfied the blood sacrifice that had to be made in order for man to be redeemed back to God, in order to be forgiven for our sins. Since that has occurred, man has raised their voices in song with joy that they are saved, in worship that a thrice holy God made a way,and provided the perfect lamb for the sacrifice,and that he was willing to give his only begotten son to do it,and the compilation of those songs are all anointed by the Holy Spirit, to reach down into our souls,and speak to our own lives. This is only possible because each and every song was written by someone who came from their lost condition in the world,and found what God had done for them,and accepted his free gift of salvation, and was so moved, they had to find a way to express it! Gospel songs are not the result of study, a formula,or some sort of manipulation. Rather, it is thanksgiving of unending praise and rapturous Worship done by an individual after the Lord has done a work so mighty in their lives, they cannot be still! Attached to each song is a Holy Spirit, which somehow communicates to the souls that hear the songs. Each one is a testimony. A personal story of such magnitude, that it tells you more about the nature of God, and how much he loves us.

See, God is the originator of multi-tasking. He can take a sinner who is on his last legs, lift him up, turn him around,draw him to the bleeding side of Calvary,convict him of sin, and bring tears to his eyes, and bring him up from his knees saved, Spirit filled,and free from sin, singing whole-heartedly of the sudden joy that envelopes him, shouting over the realization that the weight of his guilt and stress and worry has been lifted from his shoulders, and is now totally gone, never to return, and the beginning, middle and ending of the whole scenario is Gospel music!

And once you are a child of God, the love that you feel for your Father, and your brothers and sisters, which now permeates your life, makes even those who cannot sing, want to at least listen to songs of God's love and redemptive power,because the ones that speak to your own relationship with God are filled with a glory that breaks your heart all over again, and transports you into that place. That holy ground where you first came face to face, and puts you once again in his presence, and lifts you up, light as a feather, completely uncaring if there is anyone around you,allowing you the freedom to lift your hands up to HIM, and thank him for all he has done for you.

I am afraid I am not doing a very good job of adequately conveying how emotional this subject is for me. See, I have always been a singer. I love singing, and I love beautiful music,and it is no accident that some of the most thrilling, touching music in the world is Gospel music. I am sure that it is designed by God, because after all, he is the author of it, and God does nothing frivolously or without purpose. He knows us, because he created us, and he knows how to make that call to our hearts, minds and souls. For many, he draws us to him with the music he has inspired someone to write. Why, I have even seen Gospel music be a blessing and create interest in a Worship service for those with a tin ear, who couldn't carry a tune in a bucket!

Only onepart in this animated feature length film had a name, and that one was Mickey Mouse, who was the Socerers Apprentice. Not the mops and brooms, or the book or any of the buckets,not even the Apprentice himself had a name that we are given, just Mickey!

So, the answer to your question would be, No, the mops and brooms in Fantasia did not have names!

So much has gone on in the last two days, it's hard to organize my thoughts to tell you about them! We have been in close touch with Wifey-poo, and knew she was shooting for her home time about the time of my birthday,but it was a real shocker to get a call last night just before church, and be told she was dropping less than a hundred miles from us,and would be home this morning !! Wow! Yon son was totally energized, and it was all he could do to contain himself not to jump in the car and run up to meet her! But then, even though his heart said go, he looked around,and his head said, stay, and get ready for her homecoming! He wasn't happy with the way the house looked,and he definitely needed to go to the store and do some shopping. Even though I have mentioned how wonderful it is that he now has Sunday and Monday off from work, and that it is best for him to observe the "day of rest" he still was full of idea's and bouncing fifteen feet in the air that his lady-love would be home today,and he wanted to make it as nice a homecoming as he could, because, let's face it, Nobody wants the love of their life walking in the door and looking around and getting that expression on their face that tells you, they wish they were anyplace else! It has always been a family tradition to clean up before leaving the house, because I have always hated coming home to a mess.So I didn't have to say a word. To be truthful about it, I was so excited about my daughter(..okay,in-law,but that part slips my mind all the time,) coming home to be here for my birthday celebration, and with Bible study that night,and hopefully Sherry being here too, well I just wasn't thinking about the condition of the house...But bless his heart,Yon was. Now, our home is never a pit, you never have to kick a path to get through a room, but dishes, rinsed and stacked,pile up on the counter by the sink,and bags of chips and things do wind up on the counter-tops under the cupboards into which they should go, when I am alone and there is no one here to put them up where I cannot reach. As always, the laundry baskets get filled,carpets need vacuuming and rugs need shaking. But when herself is on her way home, each tiny flaw becomes a glaring imperfection, and at first blush through the door, she should see home, nothing more. So, needless to say, Yon son wore himself out straightening up last night,and then got up with me early for breakfast. Well, about the time I was having my second cup of mocha, and my pills were settling and kicking in, we got the call, that she was on her way. I was such a big help. Eyes at half-mast, and starting to nod off, I heard Yon son say to her, " I think mother is going back to bed, but call me when you get to town and get your rig parked,and I'll come down and pick you up." He put me back to bed,and it was lights out for me. The next thing I knew, Yon son was at my room door, saying Mom? Guess whose here! Of course, instantly I knew, surged up and got my feet under me,and she came in, and I just wrapped that wonderful girl in my arms and hugged and squeezed her, and kissed her forehead, and her cheeks and thanked God for bringing her safely back home to us,and just as any mother would, I held her a moment longer,telling her how much I loved her,and had missed her, and even caught myself rocking her a little, just as I would Yon son, reassuring myself my baby was home, and she indulged me that instant of cuddling her in my arms,understanding without words I was saying," mama is near." There has never been any stiffness,strangeness, or awkward moments between us, simply because I love her just as though she were my very own child,and I have since before they took their vows three years ago. Well. They put me in my chair and hustled me into the kitchen,and I saw with pleasure that Yon son had put the room to rights, including clearing away the debris of our breakfast And it's a good thing too, because she had dropped her things right next to the door, and come right in to say hello, and now, once I was at my place at the table, she began to bring out bag after bag after bag of stuff,and place them on the table. Goodies from all over the country. Things she had picked up at almost every stop she had made, for Yon son, and for me! Cups for his cup collection, and bells for my bell collection...but it sort of overlapped, amusingly, because she had found bells that he would like, and cups that I would love,so it was, those are for you and those are for him,and this one is for you! We opened packages and oohed and ahhed,and laughed, and then it was my birthday presents being brought out two days early,and nothing would do but Yon son had to bring my presents out from him, even tho he has already given me several, I got more today...and oh, such lovely things, I just wanted to cry, but I couldn't stop smiling, because each package was a new delight! I got movies,and pads of paper for lists and fancy pencils and a pencil sharpener,and a nifty new pen that has it's own magnetic holder,and no matter your slipshod aim, if you throw it in there point end down, it will stand up just as it should...albeit, wobbling a little. I got a pink fuzzy diary with two keys and a lock, which just tickles me to no end, because I always wanted a diary but never got one! How in tune can a man and wife be,that the man gives pencils and pens and a magnetic holder,and the wife, from hundreds, or even thousands of miles away, picks up a diary and pads,and a diary in my favorite color,and as far as I know, neither knew what the other was getting me! You know, I've said all along, since they first were dating, and then engaged, that they are so much alike, it's scary! ( Now, that might sound a little strong,but if you popped up one day with a surprise portrait session for them, and they had only hours to get an outfit together for the pictures, you might call it scary too, that they went out separately,and both showed up for the session wearing Grey,black, and white outfits!) However, now I must change my vernacular. Their connection is not scary. It is wonderful!But, I digress. So then, Yon son brings out the big present. The game SceneIt! which is played with a DVD and a board and dice, all about movies and television shows, that I have been drooling over for months,and nothing would do but we had to try it out, right away! What a hoot! Somewhere in there we had lunch, which was BLT'S and iced drinks,( and I ran my blood sugar and took my pills...) and then I brought everything to a screeching halt, because it seemed now was the right time to give them both their big presents that I had ordered, one right after the other, for their birthdays..hers was July 25th, his Aug. 11th,and I had got them,wrapped them and waited until she got home, and we had the birthday celebration to give them to them. My thinking was, since neither came in on time, it wouldn't hurt anyones feelings to get both belated gifts at the same time. It was the most important present I have ever given either of them, or ever will. With all my love for my kids, I gave them both the most magnificent Expositor's Study Bible available, offered by Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, just like my own. They were both taken a little aback, because they knew I had to save up for them...they don't come cheap. With all this volume has to offer to anyone who is wanting to clearly understand the word of God,it is the very best! With reverence they both swore they would take good care of them, and I laughed and told them not to keep them in the boxes, that I expected them to be used a lot, and then I signed them over to them, with all my love,and the date, and we went back to our game.

What a wonderful way to kick off her home time,and my birthday celebration time. There was so much more I could tell you about, but this blog is way too big already and I am about to hit the hay, because tomorrow is going to be another busy day! Suffice it to say that the rest of the day was just as grand and glorious as the beginning, and the blessings are just going to keep right on flowing in until there won't be room to hold them!

Praise the Lord for his mercy endureth forever! Praise the Lord for his justification endureth forever! Praise God for his unutterable gifts! Praise the Lord, for heaven and earth are filled with his glory! I praise you and worship you Father for bringing my children home safely to me, one more time,and for helping me lead them in the paths of righteousness!

No, this is not that website, so if that is what you are looking for, you'd better just log out right now...that is, unless you are interested in an actual blog, and an opinion on this new Phenom!You might be curious to know where I found out about this new website. Not on the Internet, no, but from our local newspaper. It told the whole story about this fella who happened to overhear other peoples conversations and thought it would be a great source for amusement on the web! So now, he listens to other persons conversations...which to me is rather rude...and then publishes their words on his blog. And now, it seems he has a book deal in the works. Imagine that! This person is cashing in on theft,mindlessly stealing what has been overheard, for no more ability or talent than he thought of a way to get attention through plagiarism! As I understand it, there is no blogging per say,he just types up, or sends out pod casts that are all other peoples words,and uses none of his own thoughts to deserve such attention!

Wow! Is that where we are now? So anxious to be amused and listen in on conversations that we reward such rudeness? It's not as if he is doing it to protect the homeland, for if he were everyone would be jumping down his throat for invading privacy! No, he's your plain, garden variety leech, an eavesdropper, who hasn't the wit to say anything on his own, and has found a way to tickle the ears of voyeurs on the web, who don't care where the conversations came from, they just want to listen in too!

Now, I won't lie to you. When I read the article, for an instant the thought crossed my mind that this website (which they published at the end of the piece) might be fun to take a look at, and then I thought about it for a moment and the feeling went away, and I was incensed that this thief was getting all these hits.Then that feeling went away too, and was replaced with the knowledge that the thousands of hits I have received have been garnered through work, research, and long hours typing at the computer,and I am beholding to no other living man or woman for the contents of my blogs. Yet daily I praise God for his guidance and inspiration for my every work...and the hundreds of comments I get I thank my readers,and I thank divine providence that I don't have to feel the least bit guilty when I read a comment that says, that was so cool! Would I feel that way if all I did was to write out what I heard someone else say, when they thought they were just talking to one other person on the phone? You bet cha! NOT!

After seeing "Capote" I found another film in which Phillip Seymore Hoffman played a significant part, and was immediately struck by how different the character was that he played in" Flawless", as opposed to his portrayal of Capote. I am not talking about artifice and make-up and camera angles here, although that did help to make him appear different,however, Hoffman did the work! Voice, mannerisms, diction, deportment...all....all radically studied and honed to perfection rarely seen in movies now,by what I would be tempted to declare the product of a consummate actor of the first water! I do think that I am in an unconventional position to make this distinction, considering that I viewed these movies within just hours of each other,and though I seemed to recognize Hoffman, it took me a while to know where I had seen him before...and as much as he had impressed me in the previous film, that is a trick and a half! It is a rare instance indeed that finds me unable to pinpoint an actor or actress of whom I am both fond and familiar,the name of the movie I saw them in last and the part they played, and yet, Hoffman has the ability to more than briefly stump me on both, at least in this instance.

Moving right along, Hoffman played opposite Robert De Nero as antagonistic neighbors in a rather seedy apartment building, who were as opposite as one can imagine, in this vehicle which shows a rather ragged underworld most of us know is there, and yet don't stop to consider that people in those types of places, are just people doing the best they can with very difficult circumstances. The writers got down into the gutter with a great deal of detail, bringing in gang violence, theft suggestive of drugs, in the very first scene, and I was tempted to shut if off, but then, I wanted to see if the guy got away,and he was smuggled into that very building where our two main characters lived, and soon after the gang was kicking down doors and guns were going off,and folks were running, and DeNero grabbed his gun to go help the innocent,and I was caught again,and had to see if he saved the girl...He didn't. He tried, but instead, he had a stroke, right on the stairs, in the middle of the gunplay! And, wouldn't you just know it, the only one who comes to his aid when he goes home paralyzed on one side, is his neighbor with whom he has been trading shouted insults all along! Tension subsides when they come together to rehabilitate him, but old habits are hard to break, and there is as much antagonism going on as there is therapy! Meanwhile, the gang hasn't forgotten that they still haven't found the wads of money stolen from them, and one by one, they break into every apartment in the building, terrorizing everyone, waving guns around and threatening all and sundry. At times I had trouble following the plot, but only because of the language,because the main characters hold up as very real people with both bad and good qualities, and even manage to develop a bond. In the end, there are several minutes of intense action and I was riveted to my seat! It has a very satisfactory ending!

WARNING! This is not for anyone other than mature people who are willing to suspend personal prejudice towards alternate lifestyles, and able to accept special folks as sympathetic characters,and even friends you can love.